Revamped food truck rally to roll in Saturday night

Crowds form for Gainesville's first Food Truck Rally Saturday night. Six vendors served hundreds of patrons throughout the event held in the High Dive parking lot.

Rachel Crosby / Correspondent

By Rachel CrosbyCorrespondent

Published: Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 10:53 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 10:53 a.m.

Gainesville's Food Truck Rally is coming back on Saturday, boasting more space, more vendors and more time.

"Our first event had an incredible turnout," said Pat Lavery of Glory Days Presents, the company that collaborated with Pelican Brothers Food Truck to plan the free festival. "But our biggest goal is to decrease the wait times. We're trying to improve the experience for everybody."

The event will be hosted at the same location, the parking lot of High Dive, 210 SW Second Ave. This time, though, the trucks will wrap around to the front of Five Star Pizza.

Lavery said Five Star agreed to share a portion of its parking lot for the night to help reduce overcrowding.

Also, the event will start at 5 p.m., two hours earlier than the Jan. 26 rally. At 9 p.m., a free concert featuring local acts will begin inside High Dive.

The festival will go on till about 2:30 a.m., allowing families to come earlier in the evening and attracting college students and concert-goers to eat later in the night, Lavery said.

Ten trucks are expected to be at the rally, up from six at the first event, with a possibility of more showing up. Pelican Brothers, one of the hosts, will be there, along with Cart Attack, Charlie's Snow Shack, Grilled Cheese Wagon, Go Go Stuff Yourself, Hootie's Hot Dogs, Humble Pie, Monsta Lobsta, Sizzle Wagon and Off the Griddle.

Michael Musoke, of Off the Griddle, said event organizers and fellow food truck vendors now know how many people to expect, and they are planning accordingly.

The previous event attracted hundreds of people, and customers packed into a small space and waited in long lines to be served.

"Last time, people waited for almost and hour and a half for their food, and we don't want that," Lavery said. "We want to get that down to 30 minutes or less so people can try more than one truck and get a variety of options."

Musoke said menus will be posted higher up than last time and handed out on fliers, making it easier for people waiting in line to decide what to order. Vendors also are reducing their menus, streamlining their options and making it easier to prepare more dishes in less time.

"We expect it to be even better than last time," Musoke said. "It's gonna be non-stop fun."

Vegan and vegetarian items will be available, along with a variety of gourmet options to try, Lavery said.

The Deck at High Dive will provide limited seating for the event. At the last rally, many sat in groups on the asphalt together.

The Deck also will be fully stocked with beer, wine and liquor for patrons. Non-alcoholic drinks will be available from drink tents in the parking lot.

Menu items will vary in price from about $8 to $15, and Lavery said some vendors take only cash. Though there is an ATM inside the High Dive, Lavery suggested patrons bring money to avoid lines at the machine.

<p>Gainesville's Food Truck Rally is coming back on Saturday, boasting more space, more vendors and more time.</p><p>"Our first event had an incredible turnout," said Pat Lavery of Glory Days Presents, the company that collaborated with Pelican Brothers Food Truck to plan the free festival. "But our biggest goal is to decrease the wait times. We're trying to improve the experience for everybody."</p><p>The event will be hosted at the same location, the parking lot of High Dive, 210 SW Second Ave. This time, though, the trucks will wrap around to the front of Five Star Pizza.</p><p>Lavery said Five Star agreed to share a portion of its parking lot for the night to help reduce overcrowding.</p><p>Also, the event will start at 5 p.m., two hours earlier than the Jan. 26 rally. At 9 p.m., a free concert featuring local acts will begin inside High Dive.</p><p>The festival will go on till about 2:30 a.m., allowing families to come earlier in the evening and attracting college students and concert-goers to eat later in the night, Lavery said.</p><p>Ten trucks are expected to be at the rally, up from six at the first event, with a possibility of more showing up. Pelican Brothers, one of the hosts, will be there, along with Cart Attack, Charlie's Snow Shack, Grilled Cheese Wagon, Go Go Stuff Yourself, Hootie's Hot Dogs, Humble Pie, Monsta Lobsta, Sizzle Wagon and Off the Griddle.</p><p>Michael Musoke, of Off the Griddle, said event organizers and fellow food truck vendors now know how many people to expect, and they are planning accordingly.</p><p>The previous event attracted hundreds of people, and customers packed into a small space and waited in long lines to be served.</p><p>"Last time, people waited for almost and hour and a half for their food, and we don't want that," Lavery said. "We want to get that down to 30 minutes or less so people can try more than one truck and get a variety of options."</p><p>Musoke said menus will be posted higher up than last time and handed out on fliers, making it easier for people waiting in line to decide what to order. Vendors also are reducing their menus, streamlining their options and making it easier to prepare more dishes in less time.</p><p>"We expect it to be even better than last time," Musoke said. "It's gonna be non-stop fun."</p><p>Vegan and vegetarian items will be available, along with a variety of gourmet options to try, Lavery said.</p><p>The Deck at High Dive will provide limited seating for the event. At the last rally, many sat in groups on the asphalt together.</p><p>The Deck also will be fully stocked with beer, wine and liquor for patrons. Non-alcoholic drinks will be available from drink tents in the parking lot.</p><p>Menu items will vary in price from about $8 to $15, and Lavery said some vendors take only cash. Though there is an ATM inside the High Dive, Lavery suggested patrons bring money to avoid lines at the machine.</p>